Lucknow: Hours after being banned by EC from campaigning for 48 hours, Bahujan Samaj Party chief and former chief minister Mayawati lashed out at the Election Commission and BJP and termed the action "a result of anti-Dalit mentality".
BSP chief also alleged that EC was working under pressure and had no courage to take action against PM Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, who were violating the Model Code of Conduct.
Speaking to media at her Mall Avenue residence in Lucknow, Mayawati said, "The decision by the Election Commission to impose a 48 hour-ban on me was taken under some kind of pressure. Neither I was heard properly nor a CD of my statement was provided to me as requested. The EC order is a violation of my rights given in the Constitution under Section 19. This is an undemocratic decision and it will be remembered in history as a Black Day."
"The EC had imposed a ban on me but has not courage to take action against real defaulters like PM Modi and BJP Chief Amit Shah who have repeatedly violating the Model Code of Conduct even after repeated warnings from the EC. PM Modi is using Army for votes while Amit Shah is continuously spreading hate for a certain community, but the EC has no courage to take any kind of action against them. Also it shows the Anti-Dalit mentality of the EC who wants to ban me on eve of an important rally tomorrow in Agra," alleged BSP Chief.
Earlier in the day, the Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has questioned over the integrity of the poll body for not taking action on PM Modi for allegedly asking for votes in the name of Army.
In a sharp reaction to EC's 48-hour campaign ban, Akhilesh Yadav tweeted, “EC directive against @mayawati ji begs the question: do they have integrity to stop PM from asking for votes in name of the army? Here’s the quote @ECIVEEP: “Mai First Time Voter se Kehna Chahta Hun Ki Aapka Pehla Vote Pulwama Me Jo Veer Shaheed Hue Unke Naam Samarpit Ho Sakta Hai Kya?”
While addressing a rally in Maharashtra few days back, Modi had said, "I want to ask my first-time voters, can your first vote be dedicated to the soldiers who conducted the Balakot air strikes? Can your first vote be in the name of the martyrs who lost their lives in Pulwama."
Both UP CM Yodi Adityanath and BSP Chief Mayawati will now not be able to address crucial public gathering ahead of second phase of polling on April 18. The poll body, hours after getting a rap from the Supreme Court on Monday for not taking action against hate speech, barred Mayawati from campaigning for 48 hours for violating the poll code. It has also barred Adityanath from campaigning for 72 hours.
The EC in its order said it was convinced that both the leaders "made highly provocative speech which has the tone and tenor to aggravate existing differences or create mutual hatred between different religious communities".
Mayawati had cautioned voters, "particularly Muslims", against splitting their votes in the eight western UP seats that went to polls in the first phase on April 11.
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